Dr. Murray and Anna C. Rockowitz Writing Center, Hunter College, City University of New York
GRAMMAR AND MECHANICS
Using Phrasal Verbs
Idioms or idiomatic expressions are ways of expressing ideas that over time become accepted as
standard usage in language even though they are often not readily understandable from their
grammatical construction or from the meaning of their parts. Many idioms are created by adding
a preposition to a basic verb, which forms a verb phrase known as a phrasal verb that is different
from the meaning of the verb alone. For example, the verb "to drop" means “to let something
fall.” In contrast, as a phrasal verb "drop in" means “to visit someone without having received
an invitation,” whereas "drop out" means “to stop doing what one usually does.”
You will find that many phrasal verbs have more than one meaning. For example, "turn in"
means “to give something to someone,” as in "I turned in my test paper to the instructor."
However, it can also mean “to go to sleep,” as in "Because it was late, I decided to turn in for the
night." Sometimes a difference in syntax or word order of a phrasal verb can also result in
different idiomatic meanings. Because idiomatic usage is quite irregular, it can be learned more
efficiently by memorization and frequent practice than by learning rules. The following list of
phrasal verbs will help you master a variety of idiomatic combinations. Each section presents a
basic verb with several idioms that have been derived by choosing the right prepositions to form
phrasal verbs.
COMMON PHRASAL VERBS
Idioms Using “Break”
• break down
Meaning: stop working
Example: I was late to school because my car broke down.
• break even
Meaning: neither gain nor lose
Example: I was lucky to break even at the casino last weekend.
• break in
Meaning: initiate, train
Example: The cowboy worked long and hard to break in the new horse.
• break off
Meaning: end abruptly
Example: She broke off the conversation by hanging up the telephone.
